2S 14 (King James)

¹ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.
² And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
³ And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
⁴ And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
⁵ And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
⁶ And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
⁷ And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
⁸ And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
⁹ And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
¹⁰ And the king said, Whoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
¹¹ Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
¹² Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
¹³ And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
¹⁴ For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
¹⁵ Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
¹⁶ For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
¹⁷ Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.
¹⁸ Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
¹⁹ And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
²⁰ To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
²¹ And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
²² And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
²³ So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
²⁴ And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
²⁵ But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
²⁶ And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
²⁷ And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
²⁸ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
²⁹ Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
³⁰ Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
³¹ Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
³² And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
³³ So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.

2S 14 (Vulgate)

¹ Intelligens autem Joab filius Sarviæ quod cor regis versum esset ad Absalom,
² misit Thecuam, et tulit inde mulierem sapientem : dixitque ad eam : Lugere te simula, et induere veste lugubri, et ne ungaris oleo, ut sis quasi mulier jam plurimo tempore lugens mortuum :
³ et ingredieris ad regem, et loqueris ad eum sermones hujuscemodi. Posuit autem Joab verba in ore ejus.
⁴ Itaque cum ingressa fuisset mulier Thecuitis ad regem, cecidit coram eo super terram, et adoravit, et dixit : Serva me, rex.
⁵ Et ait ad eam rex : Quid causæ habes ? Quæ respondit : Heu, mulier vidua ego sum : mortuus est enim vir meus.
⁶ Et ancillæ tuæ erant duo filii : qui rixati sunt adversum se in agro, nullusque erat qui eos prohibere posset : et percussit alter alterum, et interfecit eum.
⁷ Et ecce consurgens universa cognatio adversum ancillam tuam, dicit : Trade eum qui percussit fratrem suum, ut occidamus eum pro anima fratris sui quem interfecit, et deleamus hæredem : et quærunt extinguere scintillam meam quæ relicta est, ut non supersit viro meo nomen, et reliquiæ super terram.
⁸ Et ait rex ad mulierem : Vade in domum tuam, et ego jubebo pro te.
⁹ Dixitque mulier Thecuitis ad regem : In me, domine mi rex, sit iniquitas, et in domum patris mei : rex autem et thronus ejus sit innocens.
¹⁰ Et ait rex : Qui contradixerit tibi, adduc eum ad me, et ultra non addet ut tangat te.
¹¹ Quæ ait : Recordetur rex Domini Dei sui, ut non multiplicentur proximi sanguinis ad ulciscendum, et nequaquam interficiant filium meum. Qui ait : Vivit Dominus, quia non cadet de capillis filii tui super terram.
¹² Dixit ergo mulier : Loquatur ancilla tua ad dominum meum regem verbum. Et ait : Loquere.
¹³ Dixitque mulier : Quare cogitasti hujuscemodi rem contra populum Dei, et locutus est rex verbum istud, ut peccet, et non reducat ejectum suum ?
¹⁴ Omnes morimur, et quasi aquæ dilabimur in terram, quæ non revertuntur : nec vult Deus perire animam, sed retractat cogitans ne penitus pereat qui abjectus est.
¹⁵ Nunc igitur veni, ut loquar ad dominum meum regem verbum hoc, præsente populo. Et dixit ancilla tua : Loquar ad regem, si quomodo faciat rex verbum ancillæ suæ.
¹⁶ Et audivit rex, ut liberaret ancillam suam de manu omnium qui volebant de hæreditate Dei delere me, et filium meum simul.
¹⁷ Dicat ergo ancilla tua, ut fiat verbum domini mei regis sicut sacrificium. Sicut enim angelus Dei, sic est dominus meus rex, ut nec benedictione, nec maledictione moveatur : unde et Dominus Deus tuus est tecum.
¹⁸ Et respondens rex, dixit ad mulierem : Ne abscondas a me verbum quod te interrogo. Dixitque ei mulier : Loquere, domine mi rex.
¹⁹ Et ait rex : Numquid manus Joab tecum est in omnibus istis ? Respondit mulier, et ait : Per salutem animæ tuæ, domine mi rex, nec ad sinistram, nec ad dexteram est ex omnibus his quæ locutus est dominus meus rex : servus enim tuus Joab, ipse præcepit mihi, et ipse posuit in os ancillæ tuæ omnia verba hæc.
²⁰ Ut verterem figuram sermonis hujus, servus tuus Joab præcepit istud : tu autem, domine mi rex, sapiens es, sicut habet sapientiam angelus Dei, ut intelligas omnia super terram.
²¹ Et ait rex ad Joab : Ecce placatus feci verbum tuum : vade ergo, et revoca puerum Absalom.
²² Cadensque Joab super faciem suam in terram, adoravit, et benedixit regi : et dixit Joab : Hodie intellexit servus tuus quia inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, domine mi rex : fecisti enim sermonem servi tui.
²³ Surrexit ergo Joab et abiit in Gessur, et adduxit Absalom in Jerusalem.
²⁴ Dixit autem rex : Revertatur in domum suam, et faciem meam non videat. Reversus est itaque Absalom in domum suam, et faciem regis non vidit.
²⁵ Porro sicut Absalom, vir non erat pulcher in omni Israël, et decorus nimis : a vestigio pedis usque ad verticem non erat in eo ulla macula.
²⁶ Et quando tondebat capillum (semel autem in anno tondebatur, quia gravabat eum cæsaries), ponderabat capillos capitis sui ducentis siclis, pondere publico.
²⁷ Nati sunt autem Absalom filii tres, et filia una nomine Thamar, elegantis formæ.
²⁸ Mansitque Absalom in Jerusalem duobus annis, et faciem regis non vidit.
²⁹ Misit itaque ad Joab, ut mitteret eum ad regem : qui noluit venire ad eum. Cumque secundo misisset, et ille noluisset venire ad eum,
³⁰ dixit servis suis : Scitis agrum Joab juxta agrum meum, habentem messem hordei : ite igitur, et succendite eum igni. Succenderunt ergo servi Absalom segetem igni. Et venientes servi Joab, scissis vestibus suis, dixerunt : Succenderunt servi Absalom partem agri igni.
³¹ Surrexitque Joab, et venit ad Absalom in domum ejus, et dixit : Quare succenderunt servi tui segetem meam igni ?
³² Et respondit Absalom ad Joab : Misi ad te obsecrans ut venires ad me, et mitterem te ad regem, et diceres ei : Quare veni de Gessur ? melius mihi erat ibi esse : obsecro ergo ut videam faciem regis : quod si memor est iniquitatis meæ, interficiat me.
³³ Ingressus itaque Joab ad regem, nuntiavit ei omnia : vocatusque est Absalom, et intravit ad regem, et adoravit super faciem terræ coram eo : osculatusque est rex Absalom.